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Wireless & Telecom Regulatory Compliance for Top 5 African Economies

This post is an overview of the wireless and telecom compliance requirements for the 5 largest population countries in Africa. As with any electrical product compliance issue, regulations can change rapidly, so check in with MET’s Global Market Access Group for the latest requirements.

Nigeria
The most populous country in Africa, Nigeria accepts EU R&TTE Directive reports and CE Declarations of Conformity (DoCs) as proof of compliance.

Required: Local company representative, regulatory marking

Not required: Product test samples

Certificates have no expiration date, but they must be updated if the approved product is modified.

Egypt
The 3rd most populous country in Africa, Egypt has compliance requirements for EMC, health and safety, wireless, and telecom. The National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA) accepts EU R&TTE Directive reports as proof of compliance.

Required: Product test samples (telecom only)

Not required: Local company representative

Certificates have no expiration date, but they must be updated if the approved product’s critical components are modified.

The NTRA website is available in English. It includes information on type approvals and categories of products covered.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
The 4th most populous country in Africa, DRC accepts FCC grants and test reports or EU R&TTE Directive reports as proof of compliance.

Required: Local company representative

Not required: Product test samples, regulatory marking

Certificates are valid for 10 years, assuming no change to the product.

In terms of South African compliance, it is worth mentioning the NRCS – National Regulator of Compulsory Standards – http://www.nrcs.org.za/. They take an interest in everything that connects to the mains, wireless or not, and will want copies of applicable IEC or SANS (not EN) test reports, as they require – see http://www.nrcs.org.za/content.asp?subID=54.